


A Conversation With a Passing Traveller

by Anatthema



Series: The Gods of Vlas-Kaj [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-29 15:36:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20798969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anatthema/pseuds/Anatthema
Summary: I am void given meaning. I am the endless nothing which counteracts the endless everything. I am the link between worlds which binds the very fibre of the universe together. I am the empty husk to which must exist to give meaning and the guide of those looking for escape. I am meaningless yet full of meaning, empty yet complete, paradoxical yet uncontradictory. The very balance of existence rests within my wings and I harbour all mortal doings within my grasp. I watch and am ever present, the lonely ghost which observes but does not interact.





	A Conversation With a Passing Traveller

The being that stood in front of them was small. So tiny, so insignificantly microscopic in the endless white abyss known as the void. The place beyond all colour or matter or anything of substance, the link between universes. Absence knew very well their purpose in this world. They stood as a guardian of it all, the guardian of nothing. The endless, all reaching nothing that was as expansive as the universe itself. 

Mortals would call them a god who was to be worshipped. To themselves, they were simply a keeper of this expanse. They stood for all of time, guarding a place containing nothing. What a pitiful existence that must have seemed from an outsider’s perspective. Absence didn’t exactly complain about this arrangement. They had nothing to worry about, for all eternity. Other gods must have been exhausted, guarding fragile states of being that could be threatened by even mere mortals at times, or concepts that were so all-consuming and ever-present that they had to use their full extent of their abilities to guard them. At least the void was stable. From the dawn of the universe it had never changed. It was always the empty abyss, only existing to balance out the state of space itself.

Absence knew their place well, and they liked it. However, that didn’t stop them from observing. With endless time and no responsibilities, they couldn’t help themselves but simply watch the ongoing lives of mortals. They simply had so many things going on. They’d formed their own societies with complex interactions, and every century or so it always seemed the fate of the world was on the line. How was that even possible, they would think many times. These tiny beings somehow causing the downfall of their own societies that they built themselves, it was astounding.

The eternity of being confined to the void would be boring for some, and indeed it was at times. However, every once and a while something peculiar would occur. Sometimes mortals would find themselves at the edge of the void, transporting themselves there in curiosity of what lies beyond it.

Absence knew very well what was beyond the void, beyond the endless gates formed throughout this expanse. The void had one property beyond its endless white expanse. These gates would lead those curious to look beyond the known universe. As far as Absence knew, these gates were as endless as the void itself. They formed the bridges between this universe and countless others. The possibilities are, quite literally, endless. Perhaps some universes closely resembled their own, while others were vastly different in every shape and form. However, their vision couldn’t exactly peer into one of these portals.

However, what lay beyond their universe was not a concern right now. What was though, was the mortal standing in front of them. This tiny, insignificant being, that yet, held immense power. They spoke out, with a voice so small, but yet, Absence could hear it fully. And they listened, they listened to the traveller who has found themselves in the gate between universes.

“It’s… it’s you. The god of the void. You’re massive, yet somehow smaller than I imagined,” they spoke.

“The perception of mortals is what determines the gods’ presentation. I am presented as what is known as a dragon to you, as so, I am a dragon to your eyes. I am not a physical being, that is what distinguishes us from a powerful mortal. I am merely the concept of this place you stand in personified.”

“I’ve heard stories of you. I have come here for guidance. I am a traveller. I’ve explored far and wide, and now I wish to see beyond my own world,” they responded, looking up at them. 

“I will guide you to wherever you wish my friend. But please, stay and talk for awhile, The endless white gets lonely from time to time.”

The mortal nodded, and Absence began to ask of stories of their life. They learned of the traveller’s life and what led them to this point. They understood the perils they had gone through, the highs and the lows. They learned of the struggle of everyday mortal life. An indefinite amount of time passed, it could have been perceived as hours or days, but in the void, time is meaningless without comparing itself to the outside world. Time was Dimension’s domain, their twin who guarded over the spacetime of the known universe. But that didn’t matter. Absence was here to listen, and they had all the time one could ever hope to have. And after all this, the traveller looked up, and started to ask a question.

“You’ve had me here this whole time, and you haven’t done as much as ask for my name? Why is that?”

“I am no fae, no god of chaos, no creature of mischief or trickery. I care little about one’s name, only their story. And you my friend, have been an excellent companion.”

“What’s your story? Who exactly are you? I’ve heard the stories, but I want to know from you. Who are you, and why are you here? Why would you stay and guard something that’s so meaningless?”

“The universe contains a vast expanse of _things._ Everywhere, even within the seemingly empty abyss of space, contains something. Here, there is nothing. Nothing except the one who guards it, and a link between other endless things. Something without nothing is irregular, I, alongside this void, exists to balance out the endless something that exists in the universe.”

“So what you’re saying is you’re here to balance out everything. That’s your only purpose?”

“Well, functionally, that is correct. Though I find a great deal of satisfaction simply observing what’s beyond my domain. I find you and the rest of you mortals utterly fascinating. Your complex interactions and societies, your extreme emotions, and most amazingly, your lack of contentment in life. You have such a short time here in the grand scheme of things. You always have this inexplicable drive to do things. You all want and desire something in your life. I have none of that. I sit here, for eternity, waiting for people like you to come by so I can share what I have learned from observation.”

“You don’t find that boring?”

“No, I have no reason to want change. I am the very concept of the void as a physical entity. If i wanted anything beyond my purpose, I wouldn’t be a god now, would I?”

“I guess… that makes sense? But… where did you come from? Why are here?”

“Now, that, I don’t entirely know myself. Why is any of this here? Why do the gods exist? These questions are probably far beyond anything anyone of this universe could comprehend. Perhaps you may find answers in your travels across the void, or perhaps you won’t. To be honest, I don’t exactly care.”

“That’s true, but it would be nice to have answers. All these underlying questions about why the universe the way it is, why we’re even here to begin with. It’s so uncertain.”

“Uncertainty is what leads to discoveries. It is what leads to finding answers. I have observed mortals time and time again, who make innovation because they need to find an answer to a burning question or desire. It keeps us looking. If I, or anyone else knew the answer, then why would we keep trying? At least, that’s how mortals see it. You truly are fascinating. Humans, dragons, and everything in between. You all have the same burning desire for discovery. It is, more than anything, what separates you from the gods. Neither of us have the answers, but only you wish to find them.”

The mortal then bowed, a symbol of great admiration and respect. “Thank you, my deity. You truly are wise. It has been an honour to talk with you.”

Absence bowed back. “No, thank you. It is rare that those from this universe wish to see what is beyond it. Thank you for telling me your story. I apologize that I am not able to tell you more of my own. Now, I will perform my duties as the guide of the void. Come, my lovely traveller, and I will guide you to where you wish.”

And so, the traveller went along their way. It was only a short time that the two traversed, however Absence knew that they had both left a lasting impact on each other. Learning was all they could ever hope to accomplish in this seemingly meaningless, endless existence they carried on themselves. And despite the short conversation relative to the time the universe had been around, and would continue to be around, they knew this short interaction would have a lasting impact. Mortals would continue to find their way to the void, and Absence knew each and every story of theirs was worth telling.


End file.
